Cats and Dogs
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: All Blake wants is to read "Ninjas of Love" in peace. Unfortunately, a certain attention-craving dog seems determined to keep her from her restful afternoon.


**Hey, guys! I'd like to wish a Happy 12****th**** Anniversary to Rooster Teeth. To celebrate, I bought the first set of RWBY buttons (which FINALLY restocked) for my backpack and a Weiss vinyl decal for my laptop to join the Ruby one. I wanted to do some drabbles for Relationship Week, but was incredibly busy. This particular fic is one I've had in mind for a few weeks. I hope you enjoy it!**

Blake abruptly stopped reading and jumped as a wet nose touched her arm. Turning her head, she glared at the sappy face of her leader's dog. He was standing on his hind legs, front paws on the edge of her bed, and staring at her with wide black eyes. His stubby tail wagged and he let out a yip when Blake looked at him.

The cat Faunus waved her hand in a shooing gesture. "Go away." When Zwei didn't move, she reached out and pushed him away from the bed. "Go. The others will be back later."

For the thousandth time, she wished that the dog had been awake when the rest of Team RWBY had left. Maybe, one of them could have taken him. Weiss had dragged Ruby to the library for a study session for an upcoming exam while Yang went to the gym. Blake had elected to spend her Sunday afternoon reading _Ninjas of Love_ in blissful solitude. That plan obviously wasn't going to come true.

The Corgi whimpered at being pushed away and sat down, ears drooping. He tilted his head and somehow made those bright eyes even more pathetic-looking.

Blake rolled her own eyes, turning back to her book. "You're wasting your time. Puppy faces don't work on me."

Zwei huffed and shuffled over to his bed, casting one sad glance over his shoulder before curling up and closing his eyes. After a few seconds, all was silent once more.

_Thank Dust,_ Blake thought. _Honestly, what is the appeal of having a panting nuisance in the room?_

For the next hour, the Faunus was able to read her book in peace. Her ears twitched beneath her bow and she leaned forward eagerly as she turned the pages. She was reaching a particularly steamy scene when a strangled noise broke her concentration.

Hissing under her breath, Blake glanced in Zwei's direction. Her gaze softened ever so slightly when she saw that he was still asleep, but thrashing around in his bed. His ears twitched and a pained whine escaped his muzzle.

Watching this, Blake felt the smallest measure of sympathy. She, after all, was no stranger to nightmares. _Do dogs even have nightmares? What could they possibly dream about?_ she wondered. She started to return her attention to her book, but was interrupted by another whimper.

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, she turned her head toward Zwei and whistled. Almost immediately, the dog jumped up. He looked around the room for a moment, obviously dazed, before looking at Blake. His ears were still flat and there was a look of lingering fear in his stupidly-cute eyes.

Another sigh left Blake's lips. "Here, dog," she murmured in her most deadpan voice, holding out her hand.

Zwei's ears perked up slightly and he trotted over, sitting down next to the bed and nudging his head under Blake's palm. As the Faunus started scratching behind his ears, he panted happily. His foot thumped against the ground and he gratefully licked her arm.

Blake winced at the wet sensation, but didn't pull away. "I have nightmares sometimes. You just gotta remember that they can't hurt you." When the dog responded with what looked like a nod, she raised an eyebrow. _Ruby _did_ say that he can understand people…_ she mused.

For a couple of minutes, Blake allowed herself to comfort the dog. _Only because I want him to go back to sleep and shut up,_ she told herself. One thing that surprised her was how his scent wasn't as awful as she would have suspected. His breath didn't make her gag, nor did the feel of his fur. Most dogs she had interacted with in the past had foul breath and filthy, matted fur. "At least Yang and Ruby keep you clean," she muttered. "If you'd had fleas, I'd have kicked you out right when you were mailed here."

Zwei huffed and shook out his fur a little as he shot a very regal look in Blake's direction, as if to imply that it would be ludicrous to even imagine him as a dirty, common dog.

This vivid expression of smug superiority surprised Blake, and she found herself smiling a little. "I can see why you get along so well with Weiss."

Some more time passed before Blake withdrew her hand and picked up her book. "Okay. Back to bed."

Zwei's ears drooped and he nudged his head hopefully against the side of the bed. When Blake lifted her book higher to block out his puppy stare, he whined.

"Go on," Blake insisted, ignoring the slight amount of guilt she was feeling. _Don't let that dog's cute scam get to you,_ she told herself. "I'm reading. Go to sleep now, okay?"

When there was no reply, she started to think that the dog had listened to her after all. Then, a sudden sinking of the mattress on the other side of her bed told her otherwise.

She turned her head to see Zwei standing on the bed, staring at her. "No." Her voice was firm and cold. "I'm drawing the line here. No dogs on my bed. Shoo!" She tried to push him back, but he only stepped forward again. Stubbornly, he moved until he was right next to her before flopping onto his back with his head resting on the pillow and his paws tucked in at his chest. In this position, he looked weirdly human.

Cat and dog stared each other down until Blake finally gave in. "If you drool on anything, I _will_ throw you off. And I mean the throw part literally."

Zwei nodded eagerly before leaning back on the pillow, letting out a yawn.

Determined to ignore her new bedmate, Blake stared intently at _Ninjas of Love_, proceeding to read the scene she had been looking forward to. After only a few paragraphs in, however, she became aware of Zwei's head pointing in her direction. She looked at him, only to see that he was staring into her book. His eyes moved back and forth, as if he was actually reading the words. This suspicion was immediately confirmed when his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He blinked a few times before staring at Blake with a definite expression of shock, mouth still hanging open.

Blake snorted. "Don't give me that look! I'm sure you gamble or something when no one else is around."

Zwei's mouth closed and he glanced guiltily to the side before turning to look at the book again. He scooted closer and stared intently at the open pages. Blake started to read before stopping and letting out a groan. "It won't make any sense if you start there…"

She flipped back to the first page and shifted so that both she and Zwei could easily see what was printed. "You are of age, right? In dog years, I mean." When Zwei nodded his head, Blake allowed him to look. "Let me know when to turn the page, okay?"

Later on, when the rest of Team RWBY returned to their dorm room, they were stunned to find Blake lying on her bed, fast asleep, with an open book on her chest and Zwei curled peacefully against her side.

Yang moved close with her scroll, quickly snapping a picture of the adorable moment before her eyes fell on the book. "Oh-ho!" she exclaimed, a devious grin coming to her face. "What have _you_ been reading, Blakey?"

She started to reach for the book, only to be stopped by a furry paw on the cover and a sleepy but firm growl.

**Yeah, this was just a fun little idea I had. I really love Zwei and would like to do more with him in future fanfics. Review, but don't flame. Happy Anniversary, RT!**

**Praise Monty and peace out.**


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